The present invention relates to a generator mounting arrangement for vertical engines and a generator mounting arrangement for outboard marine drives equipped with a vertical engine.
A large outboard marine engine is typically equipped with a generator in the form of an ACG. An ACG is typically secured to a cylinder block or crankcase via steel brackets. Japanese patent laid open (kokai) publication No. 10-175596 filed by the same applicant discloses an arrangement in which a relatively large bracket is secured to an upper end of the crankcase to thereby support an ACG. However, the bracket is subjected to the tension that acts upon the ACG drive belt, and is required to support the relatively heavy ACG as a cantilever so that the bracket tends to be large in size. Furthermore, because the bracket is attached to the crankcase having a limited mechanical strength to withstand the load, a relatively large mounting area must be secured in the crankcase and/or the crankcase is required to be reinforced.
In view of such problems of the prior art, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a generator mounting arrangement for vertical engines which is highly compact, and a generator mounting arrangement for an outboard marine drive equipped with such an engine.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a generator mounting arrangement for vertical engines which is economical to implement, and a generator mounting arrangement for an outboard marine drive equipped with such an engine.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a generator mounting arrangement for vertical engines which is light in weight, and a generator mounting arrangement for an outboard marine drive equipped with such an engine.
According to the present invention, such objects can be accomplished by providing a generator mounting arrangement for vertical engines having a substantially vertically oriented crankshaft, a cylinder block having a cylinder axial line disposed substantially horizontally, a cylinder head attached to a corresponding side of the cylinder block to define a combustion chamber, a crankcase fixedly attached to another side of the cylinder block to define a crank chamber accommodating the crankshaft, a generator fixedly attached to an outer side of the crankcase and having an input shaft extending vertically upward, a driven pulley secured to the generator input shaft, a drive pulley attached to an upper end of the crankshaft, and an endless belt passed around the two pulleys, wherein: the generator is fixedly attached to the crankcase via a bracket integrally cast with the crankcase. The same arrangement may also be used for outboard marine drives.
Thus, the generator mounting arrangement having an adequate mechanical strength can be ensured in a highly compact manner without increasing the cost and weight. Typically, at least two brackets are integrally cast with the crankcase, one being provided with a pivot hole for pivotally supporting the generator, the other being provided with an arcuate slot for fixedly securing the generator at a desired angular position around the pivot hole.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, a hollow ridge is integrally cast with the crankcase to define an oil gallery therein, and connected to the bracket.